


Mistletoe

by NancyandNed



Series: Today Until Forever [6]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gift Fic, Love, Mistletoe, Snowball Fight, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:38:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NancyandNed/pseuds/NancyandNed
Summary: Nancy and Ned spend their first Christmas together as a couple.
Relationships: Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson
Series: Today Until Forever [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665985
Kudos: 7





	Mistletoe

"Hannah, do you really think he'll like the gift?" Nancy said, as she mashed potatoes in the kitchen.

"Yes, sweety. I may be old now but I know young love when I see it. You could give him an empty box and he'd still feel it's the best gift. Aah makes me miss the old days." Hannah sighed dramatically.

"Oh Hannah, you aren't that old. I'd say you don't look a day over twenty." Nancy giggled playfully.

"Hmmm. What's that wonderful smell?" Eloise Drew sniffed the air as she walked in.

Aunt Eloise was Nancy's father's younger sister. She was a school teacher and lived alone in New York but she was visiting River Heights for the holidays.

"That'd be Hannah's famous cookies." Nancy smiled at her pretty aunt.

"Hannah I've begging you for years. One of these days, I'll have to just steal your secret recipe." Aunt Eloise walked over to Nancy. "Now, honey, why don't you go get dressed while I help Hannah? Your friends should be here soon and I don't need to know a lot about kids to know that that young man of yours is going to feel terribly awkward if he has to spend Christmas day with his girlfriend's father and aunt."

Nancy thanked her and went upstairs to her room to change. Ned's parents had invited her over for Christmas but as Aunt Eloise had been in town, she'd declined the invitation. Instead, she'd spent Christmas eve with them. Edith was as great a cook as Hannah and she'd had a wonderful time. Nancy smiled remembering how it had felt to cuddle with Ned by the fireplace.

She decided to check and make sure all the gifts were wrapped. She had bought Ned a warm scarf made of the softest wool she could find. She knew it was a step down and not as costly as her gift for him last year but it was their first Christmas together and she'd wanted to buy him something with her own money, which she'd earned while babysitting with George and Bess over summer. Their first Christmas. She felt wave of thrill pass through her.

For Bess, she'd gotten a lip gloss set from her favourite brand and for George she'd bought the woollen skirt she'd been eyeing the last three times they'd been to the mall.

George and Bess were having lunch with their grandparents but they'd planned to drop by for an hour. Ned had volunteered to pick them up.

Suddenly the bell rang. Hollering to Hannah that she'd get the door, Nancy almost flew down the stairs.

Opening it quickly, she was immediately met with Ned's warm brown eyes. She'd come to associate them with chocolate, always sweet, always reliable.

His cheeks and nose were red from the cold and he was carrying a big bag of gifts.

Acting on an impulse she reached up and kissed him on the nose.

"Ooh cold."

He laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas to you too, Nan."

"Uhh excuse me guys but if you're done with your PDA, Bess and I are kinda freezing out here." George's voice spoke out from behind Ned.

"Sorry!" Nancy giggled.

Letting Ned pass her, she wrapped her arms around her two best friends giving them a big hug. They were carrying many gifts too.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" She shouted as all three broke out in laughter.

She carried the gifts inside and then Hannah called her for some help in the kitchen. When she returned, her father was talking to Ned by their Christmas tree while George and Bess were already sprawled out on the couch.

"Nancy made that in playschool and almost broke her neck while attempting to climb the tree to put it on herself." Her father was saying as he pointed to a stuffed Santa hanging near the top of the tree. "It's been a Christmas tradition since."

Nancy smiled at the memory from when she was three. They had been given the pre-made Santas and all they'd had to do was glue on the cotton for the beard and draw it's face but she'd still managed to mess it up. She had a faint recollection of her mother fixing it up and promising to put it up on the tree.

Nancy felt a warm fuzzy feeling on seeing her boyfriend and her father bonding. Although they'd been together for over six months, Ned and her father had started becoming more comfortable in each other's company only recently.

She started walking over to George and Bess when they suddenly shreeked and ran past her.

"Eloise!" They'd enveloped her Aunt in enormous hugs.

"Oh how are my pretty girls?" Aunt Eloise laughed as she hugged them back.

She had known the two since they were toddlers and they'd accompanied Nancy multiple times on her trips to New York.

Aunt Eloise then walked over to Ned who stuck out his hand to greet her but she enveloped him in a hug too.

"You must be Ned! Now young man, I've wanted to meet you for so long since my favourite niece and my favourite brother are so fond of you."

Ned's face reddened.

"Now dear, I'm going to have to steal Nancy for just a minute because Hannah wants her."

When Nancy returned, Ned was sitting alone on the couch. George and Bess were nowhere in sight.

"Hey handsome." She whispered into his ear as she snuggled up next to him.

"Hey gorgeous." He whispered back putting an arm around her.

She loved how he smelled. He was a bit of a clean freak so his hair almost always smelled like shampoo and soap. She hadn't yet come around to asking what cologne he used. She couldn't imagine him smelling like anything else and that was one of the main reasons why she hadn't bought him some other cologne for Christmas like Hannah had suggested.

As much as she liked cuddling with Ned, her two best friends were still not back and she felt a bit guilty for ignoring them.

"Hey Ned, where's George and Bess?"

"I'm not sure. I was admiring your tree and when I turned they were gone. They're probably with your aunt."

"We'll look for them." He added getting up, and pulling her to her feet. "But before that I have something to show you. Outside."

Nancy was intrigued. What did he want her to see outside her own house?

They got their coats and went outside.

It had snowed the previous night but the sun was out now and everything shone a dazzling white.

Nancy found herself sighing at how beautiful everything looked.

"This is so pretty..." She started saying but broke off as a snowball smacked her right in the face.

"Whattt..." She looked around to find George crouching by a tree on her left. Bess was giggling a few steps behind. They were both armed with snowballs.

Smack!

Another snowball hit her shoulder, this time from the right. Ned had moved several steps away from her and was already bending down to pick up more snow.

"Traitor!" Nancy screamed, tearing after him.

A fierce snowball fight later, all four of them were sprawled out on the snow, tired.

"George, Ned and I planned this on our way here." Bess said between giggles.

Nancy replied by throwing snow at her friend's face.

They made snow angels and snowmen after that.

Exhausted, Bess and George went back inside to dry off before their parents came to pick them up.

Nancy started to follow but Ned held her back.

"There's something I actually wanted to show you." He said, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"If you are trying to put snow down my neck, let me remind you I have a brown belt in judo." She teased.

"Don't remind me." He groaned. "Getting beaten up by my girlfriend was not my idea of a fun date."

Nancy laughed as Ned propelled her towards the back of the house.

Once they were safely hidden from view, he took out a small box from his coat pocket and handed it to her wordlessly.

Opening it, Nancy found two small silver earrings studded with blue stones.

"I saw you looking at it when we went to the mall. So I went back the next day and bought it." He explained, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh Ned! Thankyou. " Nancy cried, putting her arms around his waist.

That was the best thing about him. Not the gifts but the fact that he noticed her. Took note of what she liked. The small things, the big things and everything in between.

"Anyway, Mom made me buy you gloves too though, since I happened to mention some time that your hands are always cold." He continued, grinning. "I couldn't quite tell her I like warming you up myself."

"Don't worry, Nickerson. We'll have plenty of opportunities for that today." She winked at him.

Suddenly he pointed up at the tree they were standing under.

"Did you happen to notice we're standing under mistletoe?"

"Another family tradition. Grandma used to put up mistletoe on all the trees and Dad continued. I don't think anyone's kissed under this for years. At least not since Mom passed away."

"Well, our first Christmas doesn't sound like a bad time to start our own traditions." He smiled, cupping her face tenderly. "I love you, Nancy."

Ever since they'd said it to each other two months back, Nancy knew why they were known as the magic words. They could warm her on the coldest day and make her happy on the saddest night. Even though, they'd said it to each other dozens of times since then, she knew the feeling would never fade. She would never want to kiss another boy. She would never say the same words to any other man. Because she loved him and she could see it in his eyes, the way he held her, that he really, truly loved her too.

"I love you too." She whispered catching hold of the lapel of his jacket.

And as he bent down to kiss her, she knew that a million couples would kiss under mistletoe on Christmas, but it would just be her and Ned under this old maple in her backyard and maybe that could be their own Christmas tradition.


End file.
